It’s an issue that has plagued humanity since the dawn of the mobile phone. We use our trusty pocket computers so much that they rarely get through a day with any power left. Many of us plug them in at night and fall asleep, content in the knowledge that we’ll wake up to a fully charged device.
But is it really safe to leave our phones plugged into the charger once they’re fully charged? Is it damaging the battery, or shortening its lifespan? There are lots of myths and questionable ideas on this topic. You’ll find the Internet awash with opinions masquerading as facts. What’s the truth? We’ve got some answers for you.
“Leaving your phone plugged in overnight is okay to do, it will not drastically harm your device,” says Shane Broesky, co-founder of Farbe Technik, a company that makes charging accessories. “Your phone is very smart. Once it’s fully charged, it knows when to stop the current from coming in to protect your phone from overcharging.”
So far so good, but there are situations when leaving that smartphone plugged in overnight can slowly reduce the lifespan of your battery. “Lithium-ion batteries can react poorly if your phone experiences elevated temperatures, leading to a damaging effect,” explains Shane.
“If you have a case on your device that does not allow heat to escape, this heat will increase the temperature of the battery and will cause cell oxidation, which will shrink the capacity and shorten the lifespan.” Make sure you take your phone case off at night if you’re going to leave your phone plugged in and charging, in other words.